The carriage drove out of the city gate and headed east along the official road. The smooth carriage gradually became bumpy.
The so-called official road is actually a slightly flatter dirt road. It is far from being compared with the asphalt road or even the cement road in later generations. The horse-drawn carriage has no shock absorption performance at all. The short distance is good, and it can last for several hours.
Inside the carriage, it was no different from the black carriage on the country road in later generations. Li Yi had not experienced this kind of torture for a long time.
He let out a long sigh. If this thing hadn't happened, he should have stayed with Ruyi and had a sweet honeymoon trip, looking at the mountains, water, flowers, stars and moon, instead of falling asleep alone.
lying in the carriage, or two people...
The car curtain was opened, and the fresh air with a faint fragrance rushed in. Li Yi made some room for Miss Liu Er, bored through the gap in the car curtain, throwing broad beans into his mouth, and watching the people who kept retreating.
the way.
Although riding a horse for several hours was a piece of cake for Miss Liu Er, she had long since lost her original freshness, and she and Li Yi were in a stalemate over the last few broad beans in the bag.
It wasn't until Li Yi threw in a broad bean stained with his own saliva, and received a fierce eye roll from Miss Liu Er, that he achieved the final victory.
"We have been traveling for several hours. We are all tired. Why don't we rest for a while?" Li Yi moved to the front of the carriage, opened the curtain, and said something to the outside.
The old man surnamed Li poked his head out of a smaller carriage at the back and said: "Master, it's getting late. In half an hour, we will arrive at the next county town. When we get there, we will find an inn first.
Let’s settle down and start again early tomorrow morning.”
Li Yi nodded and got into the carriage again, secretly glad in his heart. Fortunately, the distance between Qing'an Mansion and the capital was not too far. Six or seven days was already considered a short time compared to a trip that often took several months.
However, thinking that this bumpy situation will continue for another week still inevitably gives me a headache...
…
…
In the small courtyard, the sun was about to set. The little maid was lying on the rocking chair where Li Yi often lay, counting something with her fingers.
"Half a month is fifteen days. My uncle and the second lady have been away for half a day. There are still fourteen and a half days before we can see them again..."
"Xiaohuan..." Ruyi's voice came from inside the house.
Hearing the young lady's voice, the little maid responded "Hey".
"Wash your hands and come back for dinner."
"Just come back."
I got up from the rocking chair, glanced outside the door, saw Uncle Fang passing by the door, turned back, and walked listlessly into the room.
At the same time, Lao Fang and a few men just walked out of the house gate.
"Lao Fang, are you sure they won't come back before midnight?" A man asked uncertainly.
"Don't worry." Lao Fang patted his chest and said, "Several women went to the temple to pray for blessings and will never come back until midnight. As long as we get home before midnight, there will be no problem."
"That's good. I heard that the oiran competition these days has been very exciting. I finally waited until my mother-in-law was not at home. I have to take a good look this time."
Several men laughed tacitly, and immediately dispersed as soon as they reached the street.
"Hey, I'm going to Yingchun Building to have a look. Old Fang, are you going to Qunyu Courtyard to see Miss Xiaohong?" When only Old Fang and another man were left, the other man patted Old Fang on the shoulder and laughed.
and leave.
Lao Fang cursed secretly and walked in the opposite direction.
At this time, in Qunyu Courtyard, the madam was hiding in the room, smiling happily and in a good mood.
It was a wise decision to invest all the resources in Chen Miaomiao. She was already well-known, and she had gained a lot of attention in the past few days. In addition, she had also worked hard and won the favor of many young masters.
The support and popularity are comparable to those of the old courtesans. I am afraid that one of the top ten courtesans this year can be guaranteed.
The only regret is that Zui Mo doesn't know what kind of evil she has fallen into. No matter how hard she talks, she just doesn't want to compete for the position of oiran. If she has such thoughts, she will definitely be ranked ahead of Chen Miaomiao.
She has been working hard in this industry all her life, and she has never seen anyone with a temper like Zui Mo. Sooner or later, she will suffer a loss. If she doesn't take advantage of her youth to work hard in these few years, she may be able to make plans for the future.
Most people who end up in a good family and let their tempers run wild like this will end up in a miserable way.
There was a knock on the door, and the madam put her thoughts back, opened the door, saw the person coming, and asked: "Zui Mo, what's the matter?"
In the past, the Madam would not have been so indifferent to Qunyuyuan's number one, her cash cow, but now that the cash cow has been replaced, she naturally does not need to be so enthusiastic.
"Mom, won't you invite me to come in and sit down?" Zeng Zuimo seemed completely unaware of this and still said with a smile.
"I said Zui Mo, just listen to your mother's advice. This will only destroy yourself in the end. Even if you don't think about your mother, you have to think about yourself. If you continue like this, your mother will really not be able to help you.
It's over." After all, it's been a relationship for many years, so the madam still tried to persuade her not to give up.
Zeng Zuimo smiled and said, "That's why I came here this time."
"Have you figured it out?" The madam's eyes lit up.
"I figured it out." Zeng Zuimo nodded and said, "I'll redeem myself."
…
…
"Where did you get so much money?" The madam asked in shock after looking at the stack of banknotes in her hand and verifying their authenticity.
The bank note is real. You can exchange it for silver of the same value by going to the corresponding bank. The question is, how can she have so much money?
"This money should be enough." Zeng Zuimo looked at her and asked.
"That's enough..." The madam nodded mechanically.
According to her reputation, the money redeemed by everyone in Qunyuyuan is clearly marked. No matter who wants to leave, she will let them leave as long as they raise enough money.
Of course, like Zui Mo in the past, she would not let him go easily, but now, her reputation is not as good as before. After the Oiran Competition, I am afraid it will be even lower, and the money needed to redeem her body will naturally be reduced.
, at least far less than what she holds in her hands.
She was a little hesitant at this time, if she was drunk...
As soon as this idea came up, she rejected it. It was a foregone conclusion that Chen Miaomiao would succeed her as the new sign of Qunyu Courtyard, and there would be no more changes. Zui Mo's role for her was actually dispensable.
It's better to accept the money and give her a favor.
"Have you really made up your mind?" The madam looked at her and asked seriously. It was obvious that she had already made her choice at this time.
After receiving Zeng Zuimo's nod of confirmation, the Madam sighed, took out her bond of sale from the box in the room, and said, "For the sake of past friendship, if you want to leave, wait until after the Oiran Competition."
Although her fame is not as good as before, she is still better than most people. At this critical time, there is no harm in Qunyuyuan gaining a little more popularity.
"Okay." It's just a few days late to leave. After waiting for so many years, it doesn't matter if she waits a few more days. What's more, the deed of betrayal is in her hand. The moment she gets the deed of betrayal, she is already free.
.
When Zeng Zuimo walked out of the Madam's room, he felt more relaxed than ever before. The mountain that had been weighing on his shoulders for so long was finally lifted. He breathed a long sigh of relief and walked all the way back to the room, as if he had not seen all the complications of the sisters in the past.
He turned a blind eye to Chen Miaomiao's gloating look. He opened the door and walked in. He saw Xiao Cui sitting on the bedside with a sad face.
"This silly girl."
She murmured softly. She originally wanted to give her a surprise, but since she promised her mother to keep it a secret, she had to wait until the Oiran Competition was over before she could tell her the news.
